United by grief
by Mothstar of Cloudclan
Summary: Contains spoilers to Night whispers so please dont read if you haven't read Night whispers yet. I DON'T OWN WARRIORS! Rated T just because. JayfeatherXDawnpelt
1. Chapter 1

Dawnpelt's POV

She couldn't believe her ears as Littlecloud confirmed what Jayfeather had said," he is innocent!" Littlecloud exclaimed, obviously immensely relieved," Jayfeather is innocent!"

Dawnpelt felt as if she was going to be sick, _No, No, No,_ she thought, _how can this be happening ?_ How could she have been so wrong? She had seen it happen! Dawnpelt began to feel dizzy and she staggered to her paws,trembling.

"How are you so sure Littlecloud," Blackstar asked urgently, and Dawnpelt felt a small spark of hope in her chest. Perhaps the Shadowclan medicine cat was mistaken, but the overjoyed look on his face squashed that hope like an apprentice would an elder's tick.

"At the moonpool Jayfeather gathered all the medicine cats together so that Flametail could tell the truth." Dawnpelt began to feel light headed as all cats began to stare at her , and she shrunk back from their gazes.

Blackstar glared at her, a growl rumbling in his throat," you said you saw Jayfeather drown Flametail, Dawnpelt."

"I did!" _Didn't I?_

Dawnpelt's flashback

 _She watched, frozen, as her brother fell through the ice. The ice that she had convinced him to play on._

 _She knew that she should save him ,but she was too petrified to move. Suddenly a grey tabby tom rushed over to the crack in the ice in which Flametail was stuck. Jayfeather. The blind medicine cat reached down and hooked his teeth into Flametail's scruff, and suddenly Flametail was falling, falling to a place where no cat could follow._

Dawnpelt POV

She could've sworn that Jayfeather had pushed Flametail in ,but Flametail himself had said otherwise. Her head lowered in shame as Blackstar glared at her, and his next words sent horror jolting through her. "The gathering is in a quarter moon and I want Dawnpelt to be there." Dawnpelt felt like she couldn't breath. She now was forced to face the cat whose life she ruined, she would have to admit to everyone that she was wrong ,and she would have to apologize to one of the least forgiving cats in the clan. This would be the worst gathering ever.

Dawnpelt's POV

Cats immediately turned to stare at her, and she ducked her head ignoring Thunderclan's jeers. Her eyes immediately searched out a particular light grey pelt, and she walked slowly towards it.

She saw cats ,mostly Shadowclan but a few from the other clans too, even Thunderclan, giving her pitying looks as she padded up to the tom who probably hated her for what she had done, and she braced herself to be torn apart by Jayfeather's claws.

Jayfeather's POV

Though there were countless cats here, he could still pick out the scent of a particular cat approaching him. Dawnpelt. _Oh great, the last cat I wanted to see._ He could sense Dawnpelt's nervousness as she padded towards him, and he couldn't blame her. He would be nervous too if he had to face a cat that he'd accused of murder in front of everybody. Especially if that cat was Jayfeather, who was known fore being, cold, harsh, and unforgiving. He let out a sigh as Dawnpelt padded towards him," what do you want, Dawnpelt?" He asked coldly. He may have some sympathy for her, but she had still accused him of murdering Flametail and gotten him banned from being a medicine cat for a while.

" I-I'm sorry!" She said nervously. "I'm sorry for accusing you of murder and getting you banned from medicine cat duties and causing everyone to believe that you killed my brother, but you don't know what it's like to lose a littermate that you could've saved. I could just stand there as my brother drowned right in front of me. I could've- should've saved him ,but I couldn't move. You were the cat that was there. I guess it was easier to blame you than it was to face the fact that it was really my fault the whole time," she said, and Jayfeather could tell that she was choking back tears.

Jayfeather let out a sigh," I know exactly how you feel," he said quietly.

Dawnpelt looked at him, her eyes pained," how can you possibly know how I feel?"

Jayfeather looked at her in surprise, his eyes darkening," forgotten Hollyleaf so quickly?"

Dawnpelt's eyes widened guiltily and Jayfeather sighed, Hollyleaf had been his sister, but she had been crushed by the tunnels when, blinded by guilt and anger she had fled to the tunnels to try and escape the truth. That Leafpool was their mother, not squirrelflight." There was nothing I could do." He whispered quietly and Dawnpelt tentatively pressed against him comfortingly.

Oblivious to the shocked looks of the cats that had gathered around them, Jayfeather leaned in and whispered in her ear," it wasn't your fault."

Dawnpelt's eyes glazed over," I convinced him to go on the ice. If I hadn't he would still be alive.

Jayfeather snorted," you didn't know the ice was going to break. How could you have? If Flametail hadn't gone on to the ice, yes, he may still be alive ,but somebody else might've fallen through. It wasn't your fault." He repeated firmly.

Jayfeather could tell that the words had comforted Dawnpelt because she relaxed slightly and asked ," how do you know all this."

"I've been through all of it," he responded quietly.

Suddenly, Dawnpelt's nose was pressed into his fur, sobbing,"it's just so hard ,Jayfeather ." She sobbed," how will I possibly bear it?"

Jayfeather whispered in her ear," think of Tigerheart, and Tawnypelt ,and think of Rowanclaw and all of Shadowclan ,and think of Lionblaze and me ,because even though we may not share blood like we once thought, we still care about you as if we were kin."

"Thank you,Jayfeather," Dawnpelt said continuing to sob in Jayfeather's fur.

"You're welcome, Dawnpelt," he said, pressing against her, and they sat like that for awhile, neither of them wanting to pull away.

 **Please tell me whether or not I should add chapters or keep it a one-shot.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you to everybody who reviewed and told me whether or not I should**

 **add** **more chapters.**

 **To those who wanted me to keep it a one-shot...You were outvoted ,but**

 **I hope** **you enjoy nonetheless.**

 **OptimusPrime2017: I'm really sorry! I know you thought it would be better as a one-shot ,but I hope you'll like it as a chapter story as well.**

 **zZCoalpawZz: I'm really glad you enjoyed it that much! I assure you that this story WILL be continued.**

 **Snowcrystal of Thunderclan: Thank you for your kind comments! I'm sorry for any errors I made in my last chapter, but I hope to make less as I progress in my Writing.**

 **Sunfrost21-KITSTAR: Thank you for being the tie breaker for my story and whether not it should stay a one-shot! I was torn between the two options.**

 **I appreciate all reviews and I hope that everyone enjoys. And if you notice**

 **any errors or typos or anything like that please point them out to me in a**

 **review. Without further ado, I present chapter 2!**

Dawnpelt's POV

Dawnpelt felt Jayfeather pull away as the clan leaders gathered their clans together. "I'd better go," Jayfeather said, now using his usual gruff manner, "my clan will be waiting."

Dawnpelt nodded sadly, she had to go over to where Shadowclan was gathering anyways. Feeling countless eyes on her, she murmured a quick farewell to Jayfeather, " I'll see you around, I guess," she murmured wincing at how weak she sounded.

To her surprise she saw Jayfeather's eyes glimmering with amusement, " I guess so." His gaze immediately darkened, "remember what I told you, okay? It will get better I promise." And with that he turned away, walking over to where Thunderclan was waiting, whispering to each other and shooting quick, furtive glances at Dawnpelt, and then Jayfeather, and then back to Dawnpelt. Dawnpelt walked over to where her own clan was waiting, and most of them looked just as shocked as she felt.

"What in Starclan's name was that?!" Dawnpelt's brother, Tigerheart, exclaimed, rushing over to his sister.

"Did that really just happen?" Tawnypelt asked, eyes wide with shock.

Littlecloud looked shocked, but mostly bemused, " I never in my life, thought I'd live to see that. I thought he'd claw your ears off, Dawnpelt."

"So what exactly did you two talk about," Rowanclaw asked. Though his voice was casually curious, Dawnpelt could tell it was taking all of his will-power not to demand the answers out of his daughter.

Dawnpelt avoided meeting her father's gaze, " nothing much. I just apologized, and he forgave me."

"Really?" Rowanclaw, who just so happened to also be the Shadow clan deputy asked, clearly trying to keep his temper," because from where I was sitting, It looked like way more than nothing to me." He hissed, glaring at Dawnpelt accusingly.

"I said it was nothing!" Dawnpelt hissed, her temper snapping," you didn't hear, so you wouldn't know!" Storming to the front of the group she hissed to Blackstar," all the other clans have already left! Are we just going to sit here waiting for the grass to grow?"

Blackstar rolled his eyes at the seething she-cat, clearly not in the mood to scold her for ordering her leader around, and led the way back to Shadow clan camp. All the way back Dawnpelt thought about what she had told her was nothing wasn't it?

 _Was it really nothing though?_ A little voice inside her head asked, but she pushed it away.

'Of course it was!' She argued 'he was probably just being nice.'

 _And since when has Jayfeather ever cared about being nice?_

Dawnpelt couldn't find an answer.

Jayfeather's POV

Jayfeather forced himself to pull away from Dawnpelt once the gathering had ended. "I'd better go," Jayfeather said briskly, " my clan will be waiting."

Jayfeather could sense her sadness as she responded, "I'll see you around I guess," she replies.

Jayfeather feels embarrassment roll of her pelt and can't help, but feel amused by it, " I guess so.". It takes all of his will-power not to read her thoughts, but the memory of their recent conversation causes his amusement to die, " remember what I told you, okay? It will get better, I promise." Without waiting for a response, he turns away a walks over to where Thunderclan is waiting.

"What just happened?" Berrynose asked ,stunned.

"Did you just- Did that just- what!?" Mousewhisker sputtered.

Lionblaze stared at his brother in shock," so cat accuses you of murder you don't claw their ears off? Who are you and what have you done with my brother?"

Jayfeather ignored all of their questions, lost in thought.

What had happened? Why had he done that? He was a medicine cat for Starclan's sake! Silently cursing himself he turned his attention back to the present.

"What are we waiting for?" He hissed to Lionblaze, "I don't want to be standing here all night."

"Leafpool." Lionblaze responded, his lip curling in distaste, "she's talking with Crowfeather." Moments later Leafpool came over, and to Jayfeather's dismay, so did Crowfeather.

"Greetings Crowfeather, shouldn't you be waiting to leave with Windclan?" Firestar asked politely.

"Yes, Firestar, I just wish to speak with my sons first." Jayfeather let out a growl and felt Lionblaze stiffen beside him.

"Of course," Firestar replied, "it is a gathering after all." Crowfeather dipped his head before walking over to Jayfeather and Lionblaze.

"Jayfeather. Lionblaze." Crowfeather said, to his sons in turn.

"Crowfeather." The two brothers replied curtly before lapsing into silence.

"So you and Dawnpelt?" Crowfeather said to Jayfeather , breaking the silence.

Jayfeather scowled, "Shut up!" He growled at the same moment that Lionblaze burst out laughing.

 **I hope everyone enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Please review!**

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